Thanks for sharing. Great idea to not need to pull out the old valve and tree plumb. One thing I would do different is add a tee at the tank with a male nipple in and a ball valve on one side and a coupler on the other. This would allow a normal hose to work to fill it. It would also allow you to use the unregulated air for things like sprinkler blow out. Just my 2 cents. Have a great day.
It is best to remove the propane tank valve so it cannot be mistaken for something else. Also mounting it upside down allows any water to be drained when condensation forms in the tank. You don't want to have a tank rusting out and rupturing especially if it is not firmly mounted to the ground.
Great point! I’m going to install a drain on the propane tank and put drain extensions on both tanks so it’s not such a pain to drain every once in a while. Then I think I’ll ride this compressor out until it’s dead or I really need something bigger.
Propane or Freon tank for a somewhat free accumulator/expansion tank, drill & tap & solder for 3/8 NPT, use their original fittings for tank drains. 1/4 inch is usually barely adequate but will also work if you aint doing too much.
I did the same thing two years ago. Just FYI, those OPD valves are quite restrictive if you done remove the valve and take the extra bits off and drill out the passageway. I can still smell the odorant they add to propane as I use it.
For his new tank, there is no smell. New tanks come with Nitrogen gas in them to prevent rust. This gas has to be purged the first time it's filled with propane, but for compressed air, that isn't necessary.
I did the same thing to my small 1 gallon compressor with a 5 gallon tank. I mounted a strong 120mm server fan blowing over the compressor crankcase. Figure I can up the duty cycle a bit but I still let it rest sometimes.
He has two outlets on the compressor to connect hose/tools . Why not just connect his propane tank with a quick connect to one outlet on the compressor and use the other for his air hose?
Ah. Good question. I wanted to get the expansion tank up to full pressure so I get the most benefit possible. If I used the second air quick connect that would only pressurize up to the pressure I have the hose set to either the dial which is usually less than the pressure in the tank. Thanks for watching!
I had a 30gal 6hp compressor for 22 years, I always complained that it was too big to be portable and too small to run tools like ratchets and such and found I used it mainly for nail guns and blowing sawdust around. I sold the large one and bought a 6gal compressor and first time I went to blow sawdust off I thought Oh no, what have I done. HAHA I need more capacity. The new compressor I bought has 2 outlets and they are on a regulator but do you think leaving the regulator at max settings it would be OK to use one side as the expansion and the other for the tool?
For sure it would. If you want a regulator still with that setup just get a little water filter/regulator like I have in the video. Not sure if you noticed but that has a regulator and a gauge also so you would just adjust your tool there. Hope that helps!
Thanks for sharing. Great idea to not need to pull out the old valve and tree plumb. One thing I would do different is add a tee at the tank with a male nipple in and a ball valve on one side and a coupler on the other. This would allow a normal hose to work to fill it. It would also allow you to use the unregulated air for things like sprinkler blow out. Just my 2 cents. Have a great day.
Thanks, that's a great idea!
It is best to remove the propane tank valve so it cannot be mistaken for something else. Also mounting it upside down allows any water to be drained when condensation forms in the tank. You don't want to have a tank rusting out and rupturing especially if it is not firmly mounted to the ground.
Great point! I’m going to install a drain on the propane tank and put drain extensions on both tanks so it’s not such a pain to drain every once in a while. Then I think I’ll ride this compressor out until it’s dead or I really need something bigger.
Propane or Freon tank for a somewhat free accumulator/expansion tank, drill & tap & solder for 3/8 NPT, use their original fittings for tank drains. 1/4 inch is usually barely adequate but will also work if you aint doing too much.
I did the same thing two years ago. Just FYI, those OPD valves are quite restrictive if you done remove the valve and take the extra bits off and drill out the passageway. I can still smell the odorant they add to propane as I use it.
Thanks. I’ll do that.
For his new tank, there is no smell. New tanks come with Nitrogen gas in them to prevent rust. This gas has to be purged the first time it's filled with propane, but for compressed air, that isn't necessary.
I did the same thing to my small 1 gallon compressor with a 5 gallon tank. I mounted a strong 120mm server fan blowing over the compressor crankcase. Figure I can up the duty cycle a bit but I still let it rest sometimes.
Awesome idea. Does the fan just turn on when the compressor is running? That would be epic
Red LOCTITE® needs heat in order to release. Use a small torch and get it good and hot before attempting removal.
great idea
He has two outlets on the compressor to connect hose/tools . Why not just connect his propane tank with a quick connect to one outlet on the compressor and use the other for his air hose?
Ah. Good question. I wanted to get the expansion tank up to full pressure so I get the most benefit possible. If I used the second air quick connect that would only pressurize up to the pressure I have the hose set to either the dial which is usually less than the pressure in the tank. Thanks for watching!
I had a 30gal 6hp compressor for 22 years, I always complained that it was too big to be portable and too small to run tools like ratchets and such and found I used it mainly for nail guns and blowing sawdust around. I sold the large one and bought a 6gal compressor and first time I went to blow sawdust off I thought Oh no, what have I done. HAHA I need more capacity. The new compressor I bought has 2 outlets and they are on a regulator but do you think leaving the regulator at max settings it would be OK to use one side as the expansion and the other for the tool?
For sure it would. If you want a regulator still with that setup just get a little water filter/regulator like I have in the video. Not sure if you noticed but that has a regulator and a gauge also so you would just adjust your tool there. Hope that helps!